Photo : UNICEF FEATURE

DHAKA, March 22, 2025 (BSS) – Jahura, is a single mother living with her school-going daughter. Her inability to accept failure made her an successful entrepreneur. 
  
Jahura’s path to self-employment was not based on a desire to build a business; rather it was borne out of necessity. 
  
She was in complete uncertainty, but struggled to redirect it towards a new way of doing things in order to achieve financial stability.
 
Jahura at the age of only 12 years her parents married off her with a man three times older than her. 
  
However at her husband’s house at Bagab village in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj, she was passing a happy life.
 
But her happiness did not last longer as her husband and his family started repressing her for dowry. Her husband and his family members went to the extent of beating Jahura physically. 
 
 Within a year she gave birth to a baby girl. but her child could not cement the bond between her and her husband. With the increased torture and humiliation, Jahura had to endure fear and hurdles and finally she decided to divorce her husband. 
  
At the time of divorce her daughter was only three years old. She returned to her paternal home in 2006. But there also she didn’t find any comfort and hope to overcome her difficulties. Her parents were also unable to do anything to get over the crisis.
  
Amid ‘nowhere to go’ like situation Jahura made a vow with determination and courage to start her life afresh. She began her study as she knew that there was no alternative to education. But her family forced her to reunite with her husband.
 
Under such a circumstance she met with a local NGO worker who suggested Jahura to undertake training on beauty parlour. Accordingly, she took training on makeup and started work at her home with only Taka 3,350. 
  
Within a span of few days, she earned popularity in the locality as the number of clients has been increasing day by day.
  
Once, she decided to rent a room for her business and rented a room at Bagber Bazar. But her family members pressured her to go back to her husband. She did not comply with the family’s request. 
  
Her continuous refusal to be united with her husband aggrieved her parents. Later, parents put pressure on her to marry off her girl Joyeeta which forced Jahura to decide not to stay with her family.
  
At that situation, Jahura rented a room beside her beauty parlour to live with her daughter. She also took admission at Mourapura Degree College in 2015 for a higher training on makeup. 
 
Presently, she earns Taka 30,000 to 40,000 every month. She was also an elected member of Bangladesh women chamber. Her daughter is going to school.
  
Jahura said, “I don’t want to recollect my past days. I feel scared. My husband and his family repressed me. Even, my own family repressed me. I thought my family would understand me. But they didn’t. I don’t want to look back. Now, my daughter is my everything. I will try my best to get her educated to make her a worthy citizen.”
  
Without any business experience, Jahura credits much of her hard-earned success to her inability to accept failure as an option.